rare any of them became friends. Devil's blood descendants stayed together, and Celestial Children of the gods stayed together. If they weren't working toward the same goal: derailing and guarding the Leyline grid that protected the Planes, they would never have associated with each other.
Cole glanced at the star on his palm. All Primori bore a star and they all wielded a telum made of crystal. Primeva wielded moonstone telums. They matched the moon birthmarks on their palms, marking them for what they were. How Kade had been carrying a crystal weapon in the club, a stone only a Primori could hold, Cole didn't know. She shouldn't have been able to touch it, much less use it. It should have burned her skin.
Kadence being a Primeva also didn't explain why she was out in the clearing by her house in the middle of the night with Dracon. And the various reasons that went through his head as to why that could be made him want to vomit into the sink.
Dragging a hand through his damp hair, he slid on his dress shirt, careful of the clean gauze on his bicep. Buttoning the cuffs at his wrists, he fiddled with the knot of his tie. He'd never figured out how to tie one just right, so they always ended up off center and loose.
Outside his bedroom, the scuffle of footsteps and voices moved up and down the hallway. The Brotherhood always had newcomers in late summer, early fall who took the place of the kids moving out after graduation. Cole barely paid attention to any of them. Besides saying hello and offering a few words of encouragement to the youngest, most afraid, kids, he didn't care to make new friends. They were too easy to lose and too hard to trust.
Folding the summons from the Warden, Cole tucked it in the pocket of his black dress pants, removed his suit jacket from the closet, and grabbed his keys off the night stand. The summons was in an hour. He still wasn't sure what he was going to say, how he was going to explain putting his life on the line for someone who wasn't one of his own. Someone who wasn't even a member of the Brotherhood or the Kinship.
Cole spotted Plumb gripping an afraid-looking little boy's hand. Fledglings had a hard time adjusting to this life. Moving away from their parents, finding out what they were ... he didn't envy Plumb's job. She shouldered a huge responsibility. It made Cole feel guilty for coming home at four in the morning. He didn't have the time, or the patience to stop and tell her he was leaving, though; she'd only drill him with questions about Kadence anyway, so he sidestepped her, and headed out the front double doors.
"They summoned you for breaking the Doctrine?" Danny stood at the bottom of the stairs in the large front yard, hands lifted in the air, dark eyebrows cinched.
"Oh, hey there, my most loyal friend. Were you waiting for me ?" Cole gave a smug grin. "Don't worry, I won't mention your name."
"Are you...no, we've already established that you're insane. Completely, utterly insane." He rested his hands on his hips. "Don't take the blame for this. Seriously. Don't."
"I'm not mentioning your name," Cole repeated. "Shouldn't you be off to school at this early hour?"
"You never should have gone to Kade's last night," Danny went on as if he didn't hear Cole. "Now look what's happened. You spent the night!”
"I sat up next to her, I didn't sleep with her." He eyed Danny. "And I couldn't just leave her there alone. Even you couldn't have done that. And my suspicions were right. As usual. She was being tracked." Cole sat down on the freezing front steps. "By Dracon no less. Draconis kill. None of this makes any sense." Cole had never known Dracon to hunt a fledgling on his own. He had others do that, so seeing him at Kade's had been a shock. Not to mention he'd said she belonged to him. Nothing about that statement gave Cole anything to feel good about.
"I'm aware of what a Draconis does," Danny said. "But we...shit, Cole, we lose people. And I know you hate that part, so
Cole glanced at the star on his palm. All Primori bore a star and they all wielded a telum made of crystal. Primeva wielded moonstone telums. They matched the moon birthmarks on their palms, marking them for what they were. How Kade had been carrying a crystal weapon in the club, a stone only a Primori could hold, Cole didn't know. She shouldn't have been able to touch it, much less use it. It should have burned her skin.
Kadence being a Primeva also didn't explain why she was out in the clearing by her house in the middle of the night with Dracon. And the various reasons that went through his head as to why that could be made him want to vomit into the sink.
Dragging a hand through his damp hair, he slid on his dress shirt, careful of the clean gauze on his bicep. Buttoning the cuffs at his wrists, he fiddled with the knot of his tie. He'd never figured out how to tie one just right, so they always ended up off center and loose.
Outside his bedroom, the scuffle of footsteps and voices moved up and down the hallway. The Brotherhood always had newcomers in late summer, early fall who took the place of the kids moving out after graduation. Cole barely paid attention to any of them. Besides saying hello and offering a few words of encouragement to the youngest, most afraid, kids, he didn't care to make new friends. They were too easy to lose and too hard to trust.
Folding the summons from the Warden, Cole tucked it in the pocket of his black dress pants, removed his suit jacket from the closet, and grabbed his keys off the night stand. The summons was in an hour. He still wasn't sure what he was going to say, how he was going to explain putting his life on the line for someone who wasn't one of his own. Someone who wasn't even a member of the Brotherhood or the Kinship.
Cole spotted Plumb gripping an afraid-looking little boy's hand. Fledglings had a hard time adjusting to this life. Moving away from their parents, finding out what they were ... he didn't envy Plumb's job. She shouldered a huge responsibility. It made Cole feel guilty for coming home at four in the morning. He didn't have the time, or the patience to stop and tell her he was leaving, though; she'd only drill him with questions about Kadence anyway, so he sidestepped her, and headed out the front double doors.
"They summoned you for breaking the Doctrine?" Danny stood at the bottom of the stairs in the large front yard, hands lifted in the air, dark eyebrows cinched.
"Oh, hey there, my most loyal friend. Were you waiting for me ?" Cole gave a smug grin. "Don't worry, I won't mention your name."
"Are you...no, we've already established that you're insane. Completely, utterly insane." He rested his hands on his hips. "Don't take the blame for this. Seriously. Don't."
"I'm not mentioning your name," Cole repeated. "Shouldn't you be off to school at this early hour?"
"You never should have gone to Kade's last night," Danny went on as if he didn't hear Cole. "Now look what's happened. You spent the night!”
"I sat up next to her, I didn't sleep with her." He eyed Danny. "And I couldn't just leave her there alone. Even you couldn't have done that. And my suspicions were right. As usual. She was being tracked." Cole sat down on the freezing front steps. "By Dracon no less. Draconis kill. None of this makes any sense." Cole had never known Dracon to hunt a fledgling on his own. He had others do that, so seeing him at Kade's had been a shock. Not to mention he'd said she belonged to him. Nothing about that statement gave Cole anything to feel good about.
"I'm aware of what a Draconis does," Danny said. "But we...shit, Cole, we lose people. And I know you hate that part, so
Similar Books
